


Because the Dog Said So

by FiniteWonderland



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Awkwardness, Bella is so much more angsty in this, Carlisle and Esme are the only ones with brains and the rest of them share a single brain cell, Emotional Trauma, F/F, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, I’m going to try to inject humor into this somewhere, Love, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, So Much Awkwardness, awkward teenage vampires, it might not seem like it in the first chapters but it’s coming, police dog, vampires duh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27175108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiniteWonderland/pseuds/FiniteWonderland
Summary: Getting kicked out of her mother’s house for being bisexual might be the best thing that ever happened to Bella. If only she could figure out what the Cullens actually are, and what their interest in her is. She can’t believe she’s caught the eye of not one, but two of them.
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale/Bella Swan, Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Emmett Cullen/Rosalie Hale
Comments: 12
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I should probably write most of the story or finish it before I post it, but who am i kidding. I have ZERO fucking self control. 
> 
> Just so it is known, i haven't read Twilight since middle school, which was around 2010 or so. I have, on the other hand, read copious amounts of fanfiction, so this will be a loose interpretation of Twilight and a mix of the stories I’ve read with this pairing, since there aren’t many, and there is only one that is actually finished at this point, and its a canon divergence instead of an actual different take. I don’t think I’m a particularly great polyamory writer, but I’m going to do my best. This will actually be my second attempt at a polyamory story, the other one isn't actually finished and I still do not know if I will be going back to try to finish it. 
> 
> Bella in this is GOING to be different. She’s going to have desires and a fucked up childhood and not be completely okay, as well as snarky and grumpy. In other words, she isn’t going to be a Mormon’s wet dream, as another author here has so helpfully put it. Most of us are not okay, and do not have perfect lives with loving parents. Most of us have trauma and experiences that make us angry and hurt, and I want to reflect that in Bella instead of her being this dazed naive awkward teenager that hasn’t had a lot of work put into her character. Every character in Twilight EXCEPT Edward and Bella are so fucking interesting and have so much work put into their characters and backstories, and Stephanie Meyer really screwed up by not putting the same amount of work into her MAIN characters, whom are supposed to drive the story onward. She also apparently wants us to be okay with Edward’s stalking and abusive controlling behavior under the guise of “but he loves her!” (which was not true in Midnight Sun when he FIRST began this behavior. To clarify, I have also not read Midnight Sun and have no desire to, I watched a breakdown of the story). Jacob in the first two books was the sweetest thing, and apparently Meyer wanted us to change our minds and root for Edward instead and did Jacob dirty because apparently he was getting too big of a fanbase (this is, of course, my opinion). Its so easy to ship Bella with anyone BUT Edward, and its Meyer’s own fault for making it so easy (case in point about making Jacob an asshole to make Edward seem better). If Edward was a more compelling and less creepy character, it would be so much easier to root for him. 
> 
> Alice in this does not look like Ashley Greene, she looks like the person that plays her in Vampires Suck. The girl that plays her in Vampires Suck (Kelsey Ford) has these big doe eyes that really pull the character together, and with Alice’s hair, she has this almost feral appearance that really suits Alice well. I also really like the snark she has when she goes to pick Bella up to save Edward from the Zolturi in the movie. Its not snark so much as it is she knows what shes talking about and you better not fight her on it. That movie was better than the original Twilight movie if I’m being completely honest. Satire where satire is due afterall. 
> 
> One last point regarding Jasper. He has this amazing backstory (I do not condone the Confederacy part, but as someone has brought up and pointed out, a lot of those boys were there because either their families pushed them to be and in 1862, they were drafted in the first compulsory U.S. draft. Many of them would not have known why they were there, trying to make their families proud and protect their new country, or didn’t have a choice. If the topic arises in this story, I think I can handle it tactfully, as I do not have the full story set in stone. I’m a writer that likes to let things flow and go where they may when possible or needed.), but he isnt enough of a presence in the material to actually gauge his personality and character. We know he was upset with himself for trying to go after Bella in New Moon, and that he’s a hardass that sulks all the time because of his past, and there aren’t too many authors that can write Jasper well because of this (not that i’ll be any better but I’m going to try my best). As such, he’s mostly on my own merit. I have to create my own personality and character for him, and who is he that can stand up to someone like Alice as a character? (I am pretty certain that Alice and Bella would have been the main ship if Meyer wasn’t Mormon and more open to LGBT things. They had WAY more chemistry than Edward and Bella) 
> 
> And with this, enjoy the story.

When Alice awoke for the first time, her nude body laid out in a grave dug in the middle of the woods in Mississippi, she hadn’t wanted to open her newly blood red eyes. The only thing she could see, wanted to see, were the faces of a man with honey blond hair, smiling so sweetly at her it hurt, and that of a woman, green eyes glistening and oh so expressive, happy but so hurt, drawn in on herself. She felt a hot painful flash of love and adoration shoot through her chest for both of them. She’d seen the man, sitting in a diner in Philadelphia, waiting for her, she was sure. She saw his confusion, then happiness, which grew oh so quickly into love, and she knew right then, that while she’d have to bide her time, that her course was decided for him. Then, oh so long into the future, the green eyed girl would join them. 

She saw love and relief flash past those bright starburst eyes, then fear as she looked off into the woods, her back turning to Alice. 

Alice wanted to protect her, wanted to ask her what was wrong, what could they do to help her? 

But the vision was over. 

And with her throat on fire, Alice finally decided to rise out of the ground and make her way into the forest. She would be on her own for awhile, but she knew it would be worth it. After so long of having nobody, she would come out in the end with a family, with two people that loved her, and she’d be forever home.


	2. Tell It to the Dogs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is a play on the Walking Dead episode Tell It to the Frogs. Don’t hurt me.

When Bella had called her father, Charlie, green eyes shedding tears like Niagara falls, asking if she could come live with him in Forks, he had freaked out to say the least. She had never called him bawling her eyes out, and he hadn’t even been able to understand her when she’d been babbling through her tears like a five year old that had been called a crude name out on the playground. He had bought her a plane ticket for the next day to Washington, pissed when he’d found out the reason for her calling him in the state she had. 

She’d been kicked out of her house by her mother’s new husband, and her hesitant mother, whom was trying to be a good wife and back her husband. 

This was due, in part, because she’d ended up with a girlfriend. She’d been able to hide the relationship for several months, but had been outed when her mother had walked in on them kissing. That had not been her smartest idea, to kiss her girlfriend in her own house. Her mother’s husband had flipped a switch, claiming that he would not have a dyke living under his roof, her claims of being a bisexual falling on deaf ears, like it would have made a difference anyway. Phil never liked her, and while they didn’t fight for her mother’s sake, they were passive aggressive toward each other. Over the past year it had become more of a competition to see who could get one up on the other. Phil finally won. 

And now, her girlfriend had let her down easy and broken up with her as she’d dropped her off at the Phoenix airport, explaining that she had no desire to be in a long distance relationship, no matter how much she loved Bella. This was the current cause of her crying silently on the plane as she gazed out the window, trying to not disturb the people around her. It wasn’t like she’d had a choice. It was be homeless at 17 or move to Washington to live with her father. She hated Phoenix anyway. The people, the heat, the deadness of everything around them every other time but during the spring. She was just sad she’d only had enough time to pack a few of her things. Her laptop and a few pairs of clothes that would not be suitable for a place like Forks were the only things in her suitcase. She was glad Charlie was at least taking care of the school situation. He’d be calling today to disenroll her, and enroll her in her new school. 

It was going to be a long couple of weeks. 

………..

Bella felt an involuntary shock of affection when she spotted her father standing awkwardly in the bustling crowd. He hadn’t spotted her yet. If she wasn’t so tired and upset, perhaps she’d try to sneak up on him and scare him. Instead, she walks quietly up to him, pulling her suitcase behind her, with a “Hey, Dad.”

He turns to her, surprised, but a warm smile spreads its way across his lips. “Hey, Bells,” he says, pulling her into a tight bear hug before pulling back, his hands still on her shoulders. “You doin’ okay? You look miserable.” 

She knew he was referring to the dark circles under her eyes, which were half lidded with tiredness after the long past few days she’d had. She nods. He gives her a sympathetic smile. “I know it hurts right now, but you let me know if there’s anything I can do to make it better, alright?” He tells her. She forces a smile, giving him another nod. 

“I will.”

“Alright, lets head home. You want something to eat once we get back into town?” He asks as they begin to make their way toward the exit of the airport.

She was aware that he knew she probably hadn’t eaten on the plane ride, if not since lunchtime yesterday. She actually hadn’t eaten since the day before yesterday and had yet to become hungry with the ball of anxiety sitting in her gut, but still, she didn’t want to worry him, so agreed. Best to not raise suspicion. 

She was surprised when they finally made it to her father’s police cruiser. Was driving a police cruiser even legal when off duty? She wasn't sure. But in the back was a big, long haired German Shepherd, gazing at her curiously with amber starburst eyes and ears erect, forehead wrinkled in the amount of concentration she placed on her. She was decidedly fluffy, mostly black with the smallest amount of tan around her mouth, belly and lower legs. “Dad! You never told me you got a dog?” She asks after pulling the door open to almost shout at him in the driver’s seat, her misery momentarily forgotten in her excitement. 

“Well, yeah,” He says awkwardly, hand on the back of his neck. “ You remember that officer that got hurt on duty and wouldn’t be able to work anymore?” She’d heard something about it from her mother, sharing gossip about her home town. She gives him a nod as she pulls the seatbelt over herself. “Well, Elektra here still belongs to the department, she isn’t old enough to be retired so I decided to take her since he and myself were partners.”

“That’s so neat! How many other police dogs are there?” Bella hadn’t even noticed they’d began to move. 

“She’s the only one for this jurisdiction, actually. We can call in more when needed, but she’s about all we need ninety percent of the time.” 

They lapse into silence, and unlike silences with her mother, this one is decidedly comfortable, even if it allows her mind to wander and the hurt in her chest to blossom once more. She wants to scream and cry, bang her head in a wall. She has to work on numbing herself, she can’t function like this. Before the feeling can overwhelm her, she turns back to Charlie. “Hey, Dad? Is there a hair salon in Forks?”

He gives her a surprised look. “There is, why do you ask?”

“Do you think I could get a haircut? I’m tired of this long hair and want to try something new before I start at a new school.” Bella had thought about cutting it herself, but decided against it. She’d been bullied enough in Phoenix, best to not give the kids here ammunition to begin bullying right off the bat with a bad self-done haircut. 

“If that’s what you want to do, we’ll do it for you, alright? How about we get an early dinner first and we can hop on over to the salon down the street?” 

“Sounds perfect,” she agrees. 

When they get to the diner, Bella is surprised to find that the locals as well as the waitresses absolutely love Elektra, and she’s absolutely allowed in the diner. Charlie doesn’t even keep her on a leash, she’s so well trained his word is enough to keep her under control. He allows her to roam around when she is called by other patrons, under the condition that they do not feed her food from their plates. While they’re waiting for their food, she makes her rounds to whoever calls her, enjoying the attention and pets she receives from nearly every person in the diner with her tail wagging. When everyone has had their fill, Charlie calls her back to lay at his feet, where she plops with the most dramatic huff Bella has ever heard from a dog. 

Bella can tell by the look on Charlie’s face that there is something he wants to say to her, but either doesn’t want to say it, or doesn’t know how. She lets him stew as the waitress brings them their food, Charlie a burger and fries, and Bella a plate of broccoli alfredo pasta. They’re halfway through their food and Bella is rubbing up and down Elektra’s back with the side of her foot when she finally decides to end Charlie’s misery. “What is it you want to say?”

“That obvious, huh?” He says awkwardly. She hums an affirmative at him as she takes another bite. 

“Well, Bella, I know you probably don’t want to talk about what happened yesterday, but I do want you to know I’m willing to listen if you need me to, alright? And I’m totally okay with you having a — well, girlfriend,” he says awkwardly, his face tinging pink. “As long as the person treats you well and you’re happy, I’m happy, alright?” 

Bella has to look away to hide the brimming tears in her eyes. This is what she’d been missing out on? She’d chosen a life with her self absorbed mother, cared for her the entire time she’d lived with her because she didn’t know how to take care of herself, a women that was willing to throw her away because her husband said so, over this man? A man whom, while awkward and didn’t know what he was doing most of the time, still cared immensely and tried his best to navigate what he didn’t know? Who was so smart in so many ways and so accepting of her simply for the fact that she was his daughter? She felt stupid. He’d shown more care for her in the last twenty-four hours than her own mother had in the past year. What a tragedy that she had decided to dodge her father’s attempts to get closer to her. 

“You okay, Bells? I didn’t upset you, did I?” Charlie asks, panic evident in his voice. 

She looks back at him, getting her tears under control. “No, I just, r-eally love you,” her voice cracks despite her best efforts. Charlie just takes an awkward bite from his burger. “Uh, Katy broke up with me when she dropped me off at the airport.” She instantly regrets her words, they’d tumbled out without her permission. She just needed to tell _somebody._ She feels like hiding her face in shame when Charlie freezes mid-chew, like a record scratch had played in his head. 

_“What?”_ falls from his lips after he swallows painfully. 

“I guess she, uh, didn’t want to be in a long distance relationship,” she says awkwardly, hiding behind a bite of pasta. 

A glare settles on Charlie’s features. “You’re too good for her anyway,” He says matter of factly, taking a bite of his burger in a way Bella could only describe as bitterly. This makes Bella smile. 

“I know, Dad. Thanks.” 

Once they make it to the salon, Bella is almost immediately seated with a stylist while Charlie sits in a chair near the door to wait for her, Elektra once again laying at his feet. Apparently there were very few places Elektra wasn’t welcome in this town. She was somewhat of an anomaly, treated every bit the officer that she was. 

“So, dear, what’re we thinking?” the man, Jeremiah, asks her as he brushes her chocolate brown mid back length hair out, a black cape draped around her body. While he had washed her hair, he had gushed to her the entire time about how thick and beautiful it was and how excited he was to cut it for her and style it. He is a very eccentric man, and Bella could swear that he’s gay, but she doesn’t have the courage to ask him. She thinks she might just like Jeremiah. 

“I don’t really know? An A cut, maybe? Or a pixie cut?” 

“I don’t think an A line cut would work for your face shape, but a pixie cut most certainly would. Are you sure you want to go from all this to nearly nothing at all?” he asks. 

“No,” she says. This makes Jeremiah burst into a fit of giggles. 

“How do you feel about Captain Marvel?” he asks her. She could see the scheming look fall onto his features. 

“I like her, why do you ask?” 

“How about we give you a Brie Larson haircut, and if you don’t like it we can do the pixie cut? Her jaw is more square than yours, but your hair is thicker, so it’ll balance out and look good.”

“Lets do it.”

Bella watches in apprehension as her long, thick hair falls to the floor in waves. It makes her apprehensive and excited. She doesn’t dare look at her reflection, even as he blow dries and styles her hair. 

“I think I like it, messy bobs definitely fit you,” Jeremiah says, stepping back to scrutinize as well as admire his work. “What do you think? Do we need to go for the pixie cut?”

At this, Bella finally lifts her eyes to the mirror, and boy does she like what she sees. Her bangs are flipped to her right, puffing out to create a halo effect around her slim face. Jeremiah had layered her hair, causing it to bounce up and flip outward, giving her hair a jagged but not unattractive quality. It brushes her shoulders, and to her, it makes her look a little more mature, dignified. This would definitely not get her called a dyke. At least, it shouldn’t. 

“I love it,” she breathes out, a smile gracing her features. 

“If I see a smile like that, I know I’ve done my job!” Jeremiah says, unbuttoning the cape from around her neck and slipping it off her. She’s faintly aware of the rush of cool air that settles around her body. She thanks him, nearly skipping over to Charlie to show him. He shows nearly as much enthusiasm as she feels, and she knows her time here with her father won’t be awful. Charlie lets her know that she’d be starting school on Thursday on the drive home if everything went well with the paperwork between the schools. This was Monday, so she had a few days to settle in. 

When Charlie seen the contents of her suitcase, he’d decided tomorrow they’d head back out to Port Angeles to buy her some clothes, as well as the grocery store, as he’d been busy at training sessions with Elektra for the past two weeks. He’d admitted, albeit embarrassed, to having almost no food in the house. He did, to her relief, leave her to unpack. He really hadn’t touched the room since she’d been here three years ago. There was a layer of dust on nearly every surface, but Charlie had changed the bedsheets for her, as well as vacuumed the carpet. She’d have to dust off the nearly empty bookshelf, desk, dresser and night stand. That could wait until tomorrow. Crying really takes it out of a girl and she was itching to get some sleep after barely sleeping for the past two nights. 

First, she decided, she wanted to go for a walk with Elektra. She’d never been on a walk with a dog before, and she decided now was as good as ever to cross it off the bucket list. It was nearly dark out, but Charlie put his faith fully in the hands of his trusty sidekick. With a rundown of her commands and wrapping Bella in one of his thick camping jackets, Charlie sent them on their way and expected them back in thirty minutes and to stay out of the woods. She’d ended up forgetting her phone on her bed. Hopefully she wouldn’t get lost.

The walk was the best she ever had, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She was sure she was right when Elektra glued herself to Bella’s heel, quiet but hackles raised. She stayed like that until they’d entered the house once more.


	3. Pretty Much Dead Already

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look, another Walking Dead episode reference. 
> 
> I know the first chapter was a little stiff, and ive went back a few times to try to rewrite it, but as of right now, i don’t really see anything i can change. I think I did a little better on this one, and I will announce if I do happen to rewrite the first chapter. There isnt enough characterization, theres too much dialogue. I never really liked the first chapter of Twilight. Setting the scene isnt my favorite thing, i like to get down to the excitement of a story, and me jumping the gun as i am want to do is a big problem and hindrance when it comes to my creative endeavors. Perhaps one day it’ll be something im better at.

On Wednesday, Charlie calls Bella’s phone before she’d even woken up. She has to shimmy out from under Elektra to pull her phone from the night stand to answer it. She does so without checking the caller ID. 

“Hello?” She says groggily. 

“Bella, come outside, I have a surprise for you,” she recognizes Charlie’s voice. With a groan, she pushes Elektra off of her and lumbers downstairs and out the front door, Elektra moseying on after her. At 7:30 in the morning, it is way too early for this. The overcast sky made it seem earlier than it actually was, blocking out the sun overhead as it did nearly every day in this town. She never thought she liked the gloom, but it was quickly growing on her. 

She stops dead at the big red truck parked in the driveway. Her eyes find Charlie after she recovers from her shock, catching sight of an older Native man in a wheelchair, and a teen younger than herself standing behind him. They must be visiting. She remembers the nights Charlie and her would spend on the reservation, barbequing and fishing and camping with the Blacks and Clearwaters. She loved Sue and Sarah. The women would always shower her in sweets and tribal stories, and they’d taught her to crochet and sew. Those were the best times of her childhood. She was devastated to hear the news that Sarah had passed away a few years prior, even grieving as if she had lost her own mother. That had been the main reason Bella hadn’t been back here in nearly four years. It would have been too painful, despite how guilty she felt about missing Sarah’s funeral. 

“You remember Billy Black and Jacob, right Bells?” Charlie asks. All she can do is nod as she makes her way toward them. Truth be told, she remembered Jacob’s older sisters more than she remembered him. He was the shadow that followed after them, as younger siblings are want to do when they think their older siblings are doing something interesting. He had grown into a handsome young man, long hair shiny and cascading down his shoulders. He had a shy look about his features as she gave him a once over, almost nervous looking. She could tell that he would start to fill out soon, his lanky frame beginning to show hints of muscle and broadening shoulders. 

“It’s good to see you, Bella,” Billy nods in her direction. Her eyes meet his for a split second before she drops her head nervously. 

“Yeah, it’s good to see you too. You’re looking good.”

“Why thank you. Charlie here’s been talking you up the past few days, he’s sure happy you’re here,” Billy says with a smirk, and a smile pulls its way over Jacob’s lips. Bella catches sight of her father’s pinkening face as he rolls his eyes. Billy had done that on purpose to tease Charlie, and she loves it. 

“Oh, yeah, keep exaggerating. I’ll roll your ass into the mud,” Charlie threatens good naturedly. 

“Not before I ram you in the ankle,” Billy shoots back, wheeling himself toward Charlie threateningly, and with that they’re off, dancing about in the middle of the street in a mock fight that brings grins to both Bella and Jacob’s faces. 

“So you remember me, huh?” Jacob asks, giving Bella a big charming smile. 

“I do, mud pies and hide and seek ‘n all,” she smiles back. “How are your sisters?”

“Oh, they’re doing good. Rachel is at WSU and Rebecca is married living in Hawaii. They’re gettin’ around.”

“I’d say,” Bella says, surprised. It seems so weird to be married at eighteen. Power to Becca for making the leap. She turns her attention back to their fathers and says after a moment, “Are they always like this?” 

“Oh, yeah. Gets worse the older they get,” Jacob responds with a grimace. 

And with that, their fathers are back in front of them, laughing like a pair of highschool kids. 

“So, Bells, how do you like your present?” Charlie asks her as he leans on the side of the truck, a smile still gracing his features. She’s shocked still again. 

“What?” she asks. 

“I just bought this off Billy for you. I doubt you’d want rides in the cruiser, and I know how it can feel to not be mobil when you need to be. Just keep your grades up and continue to be a good kid, alright?” 

After a moment, a smile spreads it way across her face, her heart rate picking up as excitement blooms in her gut. “Oh, no way! This is perfect!”

“I even rebuilt the engine,” Jacob says proudly. 

“Oh, I love it!” Bella says, accidentally smacking Jacob with the truck door as she pulls it open, and she cant even find it mortifying like she usually would in her excitement. Jacob asks her if she knew how to drive a stick shift vehicle once they were settled inside the cab, and she was proud to say that she did, she’d had one of her mother’s work friends teach her. It would take awhile to get back into the groove of it, but she was certain that it wouldn’t be a problem. 

“One more thing, don’t go over sixty in this,” Jacob says ominously. 

This gives Bella pause. “Why?”

“You don’t want to know,” and at the very serious look on his face, Bella can’t contain her giggles, they spill out, causing Jacob to release his own peals of laughter. 

“Don’t you have school today? You want me to give you a ride?” she asks him. 

“Nah, I go to school on the reservation.”

“Bumer, it would have been nice to have one familiar face,” she says, almost somberly. 

“How about this, you can call me and tell me about your first day tomorrow and if anyone bothers you I’ll give them a talking to,” he offers cheekily. Bella felt as if she was missing something, but didn’t dwell on it. She gives an enthusiastic nod. “Speaking of, we need go get going if I’m gonna make it there on time,” Jacob hops out of the cab to inform his father of their predicament. Bella follows, still riding the high of having this beast of a truck as _hers._ Charlie liberates her new ride to take the Blacks back to the reservation, and Bella waves them off with a “Don’t wreck it!” She doubts anything could take that truck out. It would be like putting a Clydesdale up against a Shetland Pony. 

If only she could be riding that high while trying to find a parking spot in the school parking lot the next morning. Dread was seeping into her gut, hot and heavy in its attempt to rise into her throat and strangle her. Her hands were itching for Elektra, though the dog had went to work with her father that morning before Bella had even woken up. She was already becoming dependant on a dog that could be killed in the line of duty or given to another officer at any time. She knew it wasn’t smart to become attached to something that could be so temporary. 

She could see the crowds of teenagers looking at her, watching her truck make its rounds in her attempt to find a parking spot. Eventually, she finds one near the back, next to two cars that are WAY too nice to belong to high schoolers. A shiny silver Volvo, and a bright cherry red porsche. Each car is taking up two spaces, but there is an empty space and a half next to the red porsche due to this. She feels a shock of anger and irritation at the owners doing such a thing in a school parking lot. Most of the kids here would be smarter than to ding those cars in particular with their own crappy car doors. 

Despite this, she hesitates. There is no way in hell she would park here if there was another spot to park in. After a solid minute of looking like an idiot, she pulls into the spot. She then proceeds to have a mini freak out about going to a new school in the middle of the first semester of Junior year. This was a fucking disaster. It might be even more of a disaster than Phoenix. 

When she manages to get herself under control, she ducks past the groups of students in the parking lot beginning to make their way to their classes and into the office to gather her schedule. The bell rings by the time the elderly secretary hands her all of her paperwork, and Bella is dreading having to walk into a class already in session and draw even more attention to herself. Not only would she be gathering heaps of unwanted attention as probably the first new student this place has had in awhile, on top of it being such a tiny place, but she’d also be late on the first day. It was enough to allow some of the anxiety in her gut to bubble up to create a lump in her throat. 

Bella practically rushes out of the office and takes her time looking at the map of the school she was provided. By the time she finds the classroom, its nearly twenty minutes into first period. She can’t even pretend it was due to actually having a problem finding the building and room. 

With a big deep breath, she pulls the door open to her new English class, trying to keep the deer in the headlights look off of her face. It doesn’t work. 

She doesn’t know where to go and is warring within herself to try to fight off the trapped feeling growing in her chest. The teacher is sitting at his desk typing away at his computer, and the rest of the class is in pairs of three, huddled together. All eyes are on her. She pulls her new denim jacket closer to herself and lowers her gaze, shimmying over toward the middle aged man at his desk on the opposite side of the room. 

“Ah, Miss Swan, welcome,” the man, Mr. Mason, smiles at her. He signs her paper with a flourish and hands it back to her. “We’re working on a lit review assignment today. Join Mr. Yorkie and Miss Cullen in the back there, they’re short a partner. No seating charts, choose an open seat and behave yourself.”

A hand shoots up and waves enthusiastically at her, and she once again ducks her head in an attempt to hide herself from the whispering and staring people. She pulls an empty desk up to create a triangle with an Asian boy, whom had beckoned her over, and a tiny, raven haired girl. The girl catches her off guard, and she has to force herself to not stare. She’s thin, Bella would go as far as to call her emaciated. She’s also tiny, she would probably stand at five foot or under, and her hair is styled in careful spikes, thin choppy bangs falling neatly over her forehead. Her skin is paler than Bella’s own, as if she hadn’t seen sun just as long as she hadn’t slept. Its her eyes, though, that really draw Bella’s attention. They’re honey gold, and big, the biggest doe eyes that Bella had ever seen on a person, with deep purple circles lining her bottom eyelids. It looks as if she hadn’t slept in years, or had been given bad black eyes. Between the eyes, hair and round face that was also able to appear gaunt at the same time, she looks feral, though the beaming smile on her face that threatens to split her cheeks would challenge the notion. She’s almost bouncing in her seat, unable to contain her excitement. 

“Bella! Hi! It’s so nice to finally meet you!” She practically gushes out in a bell like soprano, and Bella has a mini internal freak out as the girl grabs her hand that had been sitting on the desk top. This was definitely culture shocking her. She almost doesn’t register that the hands holding hers are ice cold, though they were exceptionally soft. “I’m Alice.”

Bella nearly freezes, in the midst of a full on gay panick. “Uh, hi. Apparently you already know me, so I guess I don’t have to bother introducing myself.” This makes Alice’s eyes beam brighter and she does a happy little jig in her seat, finally releasing Bella’s hands to excitedly pull her phone from her bag and begin typing on it quickly in her lap. 

“I’m Eric,” Eric holds his hand out for hers to shake, a wide smile on his face, though not as bright as Alice’s. “Chief Swan’s daughter, right?”

“Yeah,” She shakes his hand. “Bella,” she introduces with a small smile on her lips. 

“If you need a tour guide, lunch date or a shoulder to cry on, I’m always available,” he offers, and Bella can genuinely not tell if he’s joking or not with the tone he uses, though his widening smile suggests he was trying to lighten the atmosphere. 

“Ah, I’m more of the suffer in silence type,” she shoots back, pulling her hand back. 

“Oh, new girl’s got jokes,” he teases. 

“Darn right,” she smiles back at him. 

Bella can see when Alice looks back up from her phone, pulling her attention back. “You’ll let me take you for a tour of the school today, right Bella?” Bella feels dazzled. She hesitates too long, and she can feel blood rush to her face. 

“Oh, uh, no! I’ll uh— I’ll be fine, I have a map of the school,” she begins to fidget with her newly cut hair. She had to reach up higher than she usually would have to do such a thing. She can see Alice pout, sending Bella further into her downward spiral of a gay panick, as well as guilt. Eric, to Bella’s relief, focuses them on their assignment for the rest of the period, and they manage to complete it with five minutes to spare. Eric is knee deep in asking her questions about Arizona when Alice draws her attention. 

“Do you have a phone, Bella?” Alice asks innocently, looking at Bella from under her lashes. Bella once again feels dazzled, and pulls the low end smart phone from her jacket pocket, sliding it over to the other girl. When Alice taps the screen, she hums. “Unlock it for me?”

Bella doesn’t even pick the phone up to input the code, nor minds that both Alice and Eric now know the passcode to her phone due to it. She doesn’t even bother to think if there’s something embarrassing on her phone in that moment, she just wants to do what Alice says, to make the little pixie of a girl happy. 

Alice wastes no time in picking the phone up, and Bella has no idea what she’s doing until Alice sets the phone down in front of Bella once more, a new contact with the name _Alice Cullen_ blaring at her from the screen. She can feel her face go hot once more. “Just in case you change your mind about that tour, or need help on an assignment. I’m always available,” Alice says with a satisfied look on her face. The bell rings just then, and Alice is already sashaying out the door. Bella and Eric’s gazes find each other. They’re both slack jawed. 

“What. The fuck,” Eric says. 

“I agree,” Bella stammers out. 

“She’s never given her number to _anyone_ before. You must be some kind of sorceress,” Eric says as he stands and pulls his bag over his shoulder. 

“What do you mean?” Bella scrambles to follow him out the door. 

“Her and her siblings don’t really interact with anyone but themselves. They’re kind of an odd bunch. I’m sure you’ll hear more about it throughout the day.”

Bella departs from Eric with a thanks for pointing her in the right direction for her next class. Her next few classes are unremarkable, until she gets to Gym. 

Volleyball. 

Her natural enemy. 

Or anything that had to do with being coordinated, really. So this entire class would be a problem for her. 

This was not all, though. Alice Cullen also happened to be in this class as well. 

Coach Clapp gives her a uniform to change into as well as a loaned lock for her locker that would have to be given back at the end of the semester, and Alice’s eyes instantly find hers when she enters the girl’s changing room. She waves Bella over enthusiastically. She’s on her own in a back corner, the closest student to her a good eight paces away. Bella hesitantly approaches her, clutching the strap of her bag with one hand and her new gym clothes in the other. “There’s an empty locker right next to mine,” Alice says, indicating to a locker two spaces down from her own open one. There was no lock on that one, meaning it must not be taken yet. Bella can feel her face heat up. Changing right next to Alice Cullen for the rest of the semester? She supposed it was no different than if she chose another spot in the room, and this one had the least people occupying it. She’d have plenty of room to change without being crowded by a bunch of other girls, who may or may not be sweaty at the end of the period, she reasons. Mile days were going to be an absolute delight, of that she was sure. 

When Bella makes up her mind with promises to bring a bottle of perfume so she wouldn’t smell around Alice and reaches to open the locker, Alice’s eyes roll back into her head and her entire body becomes stiff. Bella can feel a shot of adrenaline through her veins, as well as panic. What should she do? Did she need to get a teacher? She’d never seen this happen to someone before. And before she can make up her mind, its over. Alice comes back to reality, a loopy smile on her face before she catches sight of Bella’s expression, and the smile is gone quicker than it had appeared. “Are you okay?” Bella’s voice is shaking with her nerves. “You don’t need to go to the hospital or anything, right?”

Alice frowns. “No, I’m fine. I’m sorry about that. I have fits sometimes, they aren’t a problem. I know they can look scary,” she gives Bella a reassuring smile.

Bella simply nods and moves to begin changing, slipping her jacket and flannel off, leaving her in a black tank top and dark washed jeans. Alice follows suit, pulling her scarf off, followed by her light colored blouse. Bella is starstruck, and she has to force her eyes away. Alice really is emaciated, though that wasn’t what had caught her attention. It was the black and red strappy lacy bra she was wearing. Bella suddenly felt very inadequate in her light grey sports bra, but pulls her shirt off anyway before replacing it with her gym shirt. 

When the volleyball game teams are being decided, Alice takes it upon herself to ensure she’s on Bella’s team, though she doesn’t pester Bella outside normal chatter for a P.E. class. 

And once again, her terrible reflexes get her into trouble. She spikes a ball when its heading for her face, and it is here she meets Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley when said wayward ball smacks Mike in the back of the head. She instantly thinks of a golden retriever, the boy is all smiles and smooth demeanor. Jessica strikes Bella as the type of person to befriend the new kid simply on the basis of her popularity, but Bella withholds her judgment. She doesn’t know her personally, after all. She was, however, getting tired of correcting people about her name. Charlie must have been talking about her and calling her Isabella around town instead of Bella, as that was what everyone assumed she went by. Their departing words are promises to meet up to sit together at lunch, and its back to the game. She goes back to stand next to Alice, and the girl laughs lightly at her. 

“You didn’t give him a concussion, did you?” She asks as the ball goes flying through the air once more. Bella’s face heats up. 

“No,” She says defensively, causing Alice to laugh again. 

“Its alright, just stand here and I’ll protect you from the scary volleyball,” Alice teases her. If Bella hadn’t been so embarrassed and knew Alice better, she might have playfully shoved her. Instead, she just grumbles with her arms crossed over her chest. Alice grins at her before setting the ball that had come flying at her, sending it back over the net in one smooth motion.

Alice and Bella make small talk as they change back into their regular clothes and say their goodbyes before heading off to lunch. Alice is done faster than she is, and wastes no time bustling out of the changing room. She must be meeting up with her siblings that Eric had told her about. 

Bella is just about done with school for the day when Mike and Jessica lead her through the cafeteria doors, Mike chattering excitedly to her about one thing or another. She hadn’t really been listening, just mhmming when necessary. The line for food wasn’t long at all, to Bella’s relief. She decided to grab an apple, peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a soda as her lunch. Bella almost isn’t surprised when Jessica and Mike lead her to a table already occupied with Eric, and another two girls Bella hadn’t seen yet. Eric stops mid sentence, face lighting up as they sit down at the table, Bella in the seat next to him. “Hey, Mikey! You met my homegirl Bella!” 

“Oh, _your_ homegirl?” Mike wonders back, offering a playful challenge with his tone. 

_”My_ girl,” a boy says next to Bella’s face, and she feels a wet smack on her cheek. She’s shocked still, face going red, as Mike takes off after the dark skinned boy. She looks at Jessica, who fidgets uncomfortably with a quiet laugh, then to Eric, who rolls his eyes at the behavior of the other two boys. 

“You’re like the shiny new toy today, huh Bella?” Jessica asks, scooting closer to her to take Mike’s previous spot. As if to prove a point, the dark haired girl she hadn’t met yet snaps a picture of her from across the table. 

“Sorry,” She apologizes with a sympathetic smile. “I need a candid for the school newspaper feature.”

“School news paper? Oh, please don’t,” Bella says, putting her head in her hands. 

“Obviously the feature’s dead, Angela. Don’t bring it up again,” Eric says with mock seriousness. “Don’t worry, baby, I got your back,” Eric tells Bella with a pat on her back and a big smile. Angela apologies, and her and Jessica begin discussing feature topics. Bella simply nods, starstruck. Were all small town schools this eccentric? She spares a glance in the other girl’s direction. She’s glaring at Bella, but had yet to say anything, taking a bite of the apple that had been sitting on her tray. Her blond hair is pulled back in a ponytail but long, and her clothes are higher quality. It didn’t match well with the snotty look on her features. It’s at this time that Mike comes sauntering back, a triumphant smirk on his face. 

“Don’t worry, Bella, he won’t bother you again,” Mike tells her, sitting on Jessica’s other side. 

“What’d you do, beat his face in with your shoe?” Eric teases.

“Maybe,” Mike grins back. The group banters back and fourth for a while, before Bella spots a group of teens, three boys and two girls, at the other end of the lunchroom. Alice is with them, causing her to perk up. They all have her same skin tone and dark circles under their eyes, that much she can see, but they’re all so _different_ from one another. The other girl is obviously tall, and very much blonde. Her features are exquisite, more in line with a model than a high school student. The boy she’s sitting next to is muscular, jock like, with short black curls atop his head. Even from here, she can tell he’s chattering at his siblings, even if they don’t seem to be listening. There’s one boy, glaring at her, with reddish brown hair and a scowl upon his features. Bella could tell that closer, he’d be exceptionally good looking, but not her type. She didn’t necessarily appreciate the pissed off look he was shooting her way. On Alice’s other side sits a boy with honey blond hair, feathery and nearly down to his shoulders. He was exceptionally pretty, but when Bella catches sight of the look on his face, she can feel her face heat up and she tears her gaze away. The look in his eyes, she could see even across the room, was murderous. It was like going from the bronze haired boy’s glare, zero, to his, one hundred. He wanted to kill her, and Bella could feel panic rising in her chest. She spares another glance at the table, in time to see the bronze haired boy kick the blond one’s chair. He tears his gaze away from her, as if a spell had been broken. She sees Alice’s head turn, and her mouth begin moving. She was saying something to the blond haired boy. 

She turns to say something to her own group. “Who’re they? In the corner over there?”

The chatter at the table ceases. 

“You mean the Cullens?” Jessica asks eagerly. Apparently she was the type to gossip. Bella was sure she was on top of all the gossip of this school, and it was so tiny that word traveled at the speed of light. If there was anything to know, Jessica Stanley was the one that would know it. At Bella’s encouraging nod, she goes on. “They moved here a few years ago from Alaska with their foster parents. Dr. Cullen, obviously, works at the hospital. The funny thing is, he can’t be older than thirty, and neither is his wife.”

“I think it was sweet of them to take care of five teens,” Angela interjects. “But word is that the twins are his wife’s niece and nephew, and that she can’t have kids. It would make sense for them to adopt.” 

“You’re totally forgetting that we decided that they—” Mike tries to interject, Bella assume with some type of conspiracy theory, before he’s cut off. 

“That isn’t important!” Jessica nearly screeches in her haste to get as much gossip out as she could. “We think, even though we can’t prove it, that they’re all dating each other, Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, anyway. Edward is single, though apparently no one here is good enough for him,” Jessica rolls her eyes. Bella doesn’t even want to ask, though a pit forms in her stomach. Alice is already dating? And her foster brother at that? She shouldn’t even care, she’s known Alice for less than eight hours, putting aside how horrifically _wrong_ it would be if that were true. There were definitely some ethical boundaries somewhere in there. She’d have to think about it later. She shakes those feelings off. Best to learn what she can.

“Bella’s already acquainted with Alice,” Eric says slyly. Bella already doesn’t like where this is going. “She gave Bella her _number.”_ The table gapes at her. Bella can feel an uncomfortable itch creep up her back. 

“They don’t talk to _anyone,_ let alone give out their phone numbers. You sure that’s what you seen, Eric?” Mike asks.

“I seen the contact with my own eyes. You should have seen it, it was like she put a spell on Bella and gave her her number. She was also super excited, I don’t think I’d ever seen Alice that excited before,” Eric recalls, a shit eating grin on his face. “I think Bella has a crush, she looked starstruck.”

“That’d make sense, considering she’s a dyke,” the blond haired girl, Bella had learned her name is Lauren, snorts. Bella’s jaw tightens, her face paling. She’d been bullied for years over this, and she definitely didn’t want it to start again. She had spent years crying and being uncomfortable over her sexuality, and had just managed to become comfortable with it. She didn’t want to have to start the process over again. 

“What’re you talking about?” Angela asks, her face hard. 

“You can tell just by looking at her. Flannels on girls that don’t live in the country is a dead giveaway. Plus, I did some facebook research. Come to find, she was dating a _girl_ back in Phoenix, though her status is already changed to single. Looks like poor Bella got dumped,” Lauren smiles smugly at her, pleased to be the one to find and distribute this information first. The table is shocked quiet. Bella didn’t have a facebook, and hadn’t been aware that her ex had been so open about their relationship on it. Of course the girls at this school would exhaust every lead they could when trying to dig up dirt on someone. Before anyone can say anything, however, Bella stands, grabs her bag, and abandons her untouched food and half empty soda. She can feel tears well in her eyes. She glances in the direction of the Cullen table involuntarily to see them all gaping at her. She hides behind her hair and hurries faster to get out of the cafeteria. It had started raining outside, and Bella wasn’t sure where to go from here. She decides to find the library for the remainder of the lunch period. 

Bella is downright frazzled when she makes it to her next class after lunch, Biology. She had managed to calm herself down, then get worked up again immediately when she’s told by Mr. Banner to sit by Edward Cullen. When she finally does sit down, she notices his face contort from her peripheral, as if he’d smelled something putrid. She scoots away from him as far as the table will allow, unmanageably uncomfortable, and when he turns his head, his look matches that of his sibling’s from earlier. Murderous, eyes black and intense. He manages to look forward once more, placing his hand over his nose and mouth and leaning forward against the table. She can’t even concentrate the entire period, terrified she was going to be jumped by this boy and have her face beat in before anyone could stop him. She notices, uncomfortably, that he’s much bigger than herself, and she wouldn’t be able to fight him off. 

She hadn’t known how tense she was until he ran from the room when the bell rang and she’s able to breathe a sigh of relief. Bella hadn’t noticed Angela, but when she slings her bag over her shoulder to move on to her next class and turns around, she finds herself nose to nose with Angela. 

“Bella,” She starts, following Bella from the classroom. “I’m so sorry about today, Lauren was totally out of line. None of us care if you’re a lesbian, and Lauren won’t be sitting with us at lunch anymore. You’re more welcome than she is to sit with us tomorrow, if you want to.” This stops Bella in her tracks, and she turns to face Angela. Her face is earnest, as well as apologetic. She’s fidgeting with her hands, nervous. Bella takes a deep breath. Angela seems sincere, and if she wasn’t, the most she’d be out was getting her hopes up that Lauren really wouldn’t be sitting with them tomorrow. If she was, Bella could simply turn around and go to the library to hide out at lunch like she did in Phoenix. She gives a slow nod. 

“Alright,” Angela beams at the word. “Though, I’m not a lesbian, I’m bisexual. There’s a difference.” She didn’t understand why she felt the need to defend herself to Angela. She didn’t need to defend herself at all. 

Angela leans in toward her, lowering her voice. “You won’t tell anyone if I tell you a secret?” Bella is puzzled, but still shakes her head no anyway. “I’m bisexual, too.”

This causes Bella to smile, though it is small and weak, but genuine. “Well, I guess I can count on our new solidarity, right?” Angela nods. 

“I’ll see you at lunch tomorrow?” she asks, and Bella agrees. 

Finally, _finally,_ its the last class of the day, Spanish. She makes it with seconds to spare, and introduces herself to Señora Goff. And to Bella’s horror, she says, “I’m going to put you in the back next to Emmett Cullen, he’s the best student in this class, and I know if you have any trouble he’ll give you a hand. Emmett?” And at the beckon, Emmett raises his hand, a charming smile upon his features. And next to him? The honey blond boy. Just her fucking luck that not only would she be seated by Cullens in every class she had them in, but she’d be seated by _two_ in this class, and one wanted to kill her. She walks slowly, back to him and seats herself on his right, and his brother is on his other side. The blond haired boy’s hand shoots up, and his face is contorted in a painful scowl. “Señora, puedo ir al baño?”

“Sí, se rápido, por favor,” the teacher calls back, and he launches out of his seat and rushes out of the room, though his movements had been nearly silent. Its by this time, Bella wants to break down in tears. Emmett leans over to talk quietly to her as the teacher begins passing around worksheets. 

“Sorry about Jasper, I think he’s gettin’ a stomach bug or something,” Emmett smiles sweetly at her, and she feels almost as dazzled as she had when Alice had pulled the same look. Almost. “Otherwise I’m sure he would have loved to say hello.” 

“...I’m sure,” Bella says back, unsure of what to say to him. He towers over her, and she thinks there is absolutely no way in hell he could be a high school student. However, his bulk isn’t threatening. Its in the way he presents and holds himself. Bella was sure that he could be damn scary if he wanted to be. It was more brotherly, and all she could think of was the movie Brother Bear. 

“I seen you leave the cafeteria at lunch, was everything okay?” He asks slyly, handing her a worksheet from the stack that had been handed to him. She was sure most of the school knew about it by now. It would be the next big gossip. So, the question was, did he know? Was he digging for more information? Was he truly concerned about her welfare? The last was a laughable idea. 

“Oh, yeah. Everything was fine. I just wanted to see what kinds of books the library here has,” she lies through her teeth. It was very convincing, as far as she was concerned. Living with an overbearing mother had made her a fantastic lier, even if she didn’t particularly like doing it. Emmett hums, the look on his face suggesting he didn’t buy it. 

“Just making sure. Alice was going on and on about her new friend at lunch and texting me and Jasper about it all morning, and I wouldn’t want anything bad happening to my baby sister’s friends,” He says, a playful tint to his voice. Was she hearing this right? She has to hold back the urge to shove her pinkies in her ears in an attempt to clean them out, though she had done so that morning with Q-tips. She tries in vain to find something to say, and comes up short. She can feel her face heating up. “Alice said I’m her friend?” Falls out of her mouth instead. This causes Emmett to have to hold in what Bella assumed was raucous laughter. His entire form is shaking with the effort, his face clutched in his hands, and bent over the desk. She can feel her face grow even hotter. 

“Yeah,” Emmett squeaks out, before quietly clearing his throat and sitting up. This is a partnered assignment, so the room was veiled in a low hum that masked their own conversation. “Once she puts her mind to something, good luck trying to go against her. You’re her new best friend and there’s nothing you can do about it,” he says good naturedly. 

By the end of the period, Emmett had managed to lift her mood, and she didn’t feel the need to go home and bawl her eyes out over a cup of hot chocolate anymore. They’d managed to finish the assignment and get in copious amounts of small talk, and Bella felt as if she’d known Emmett for longer than an hour with the way he so comfortably joked around with her. Bella hadn’t even noticed until the end that Jasper hadn’t come back. She decided to not worry about it. 

Emmett even waited for her to pack up her things, and escorted her out the door after the bell rang. Alice met them at the door, all smiles, though Bella could see the worry creasing her brow. “How was your first day, Bella? I see you’ve met my brother.” 

At this, Emmett picks her up and twirls her around, before setting her back on the ground and using her head as an armrest. “Her most _charming_ brother.” Emmett grins. 

Alice is less than pleased with the display and shoos his arm away. Bella gives a little laugh anyway. “It was good. Emmett was the icing on the cake.”

Emmett puffs his chest out proudly at her words. 

Alice asks her to take a quick walk with her and Emmett around campus, just to show her the major landmarks that she may have missed that day. Emmett is good at keeping the atmosphere light and fun, joking around with them while Alice asks questions about Bella’s first day and Bella answers. It takes about ten minutes, before they stop in front of the office. “Don’t forget to turn your paperwork in, Bella. I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

“Yeah,” Bella says with a smile, and the siblings bid her farewell. A good ending to a bad day. Tomorrow would be better. She couldn’t wait to tell Charlie. 

She actually enjoys the music on the radio in her truck on the way home.


End file.
